


Sign Your Name, We're in this Together

by daretogobeyondtheunknown



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/F, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:26:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daretogobeyondtheunknown/pseuds/daretogobeyondtheunknown
Summary: "Do you not plan to be there?""Where?""In our future."
Relationships: Seo Soojin/Yeh Shuhua
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	Sign Your Name, We're in this Together

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is a side to a story I am writing. 
> 
> Initially, I didn't plan to release it until the main story was published but given everything, I felt exceptions could be made. 
> 
> Different languages are denoted by the following stylisation:  
> Korean  
>  **Taiwanese/Mandarin**  
>  English
> 
> Disclaimer: Please note that this is a fictitious piece of work based off the dynamics of factual individuals. It is in no way meant to speculate or draw assumptions on the personal lives of these individuals.

**_March 9, 2029_ **

“Happy birthday!”

Confetti cannons explode, an assault of glittery and colourful _junk_ raining down from the sky. It is everywhere all at once and Soojin can’t help but sneeze. Laughter rings out, Yuqi’s sticking out like a pink hippo amidst a flock of white cranes. 

Soojin barely has time to rub away the offending surprise particulates before she is surrounded. The arms that embrace her are familiar; a family built over years through trials and tribulations - the good, the bad, the ugly. Everything about it is comforting. 

Except, of course, for the ridiculous confetti. 

“Make a wish!”

A white frosted cake appears, two small candles flickering on top. Plunged into a sudden darkness, there is maybe an ‘8’ and a ‘4’ but it’s hard to tell as the candles look more like a puddle of wax on the cake's surface than any distinguishable numerical shape. Soojin makes a quick wish before putting the poor candles out of their misery. 

“What did you wish for?” Yuqi asks excitedly as she bounces on the balls of her feets. 

“Pabo, that isn’t how it works.” Soyeon retorts, knocking Yuqi across the back of the head. There’s nothing dangerous about it - the way they bicker and fight like children - and the familiarity of it makes Soojin smile. 

“Here.” A slice of cake hovers under her nose. Miyeon smiles, “Ignore the chunk that’s missing. Minnie can’t cut.” The sweet scent of cherries and something Soojin can’t quite pinpoint wafts through the air. 

“Hey!” The yelp of indignation dissolves into a stream of excuses Soojin can’t quite hear as the chatter of Yuqi and Soyeon to her right escalates. Catching the words ‘pickles’ and ‘giraffes’, Soojin isn’t sure she wants to hear any of it. 

Thank goodness for the cake. 

Sure enough there is a chunk missing. Soojin isn’t quite sure how given the fluffy texture of the cake and the circular shaped hole. If she had to hazard a guess, it looks more like the shape of a spoon than clumsy knife work. In the kitchen the noise grows - Yuqi has found the cake. The way she wields the knife, twirling it like a baton, has everyone on edge. 

Well, everyone that is, except the one person Soojin cannot see. 

"Shu?" Her eyes scan over the kitchen. Miyeon, Minnie and Soyeon are attempting to talk Yuqi into putting the knife down. In the dining room, Haku and Mata are running circles around the legs of the dining room chairs. It is only when she feels that familiar warmth behind her, arms snaking about her waist, that Soojin ceases to search. 

"Hi." It is delicate like a whisper. "Happy birthday, jagiya." The words feel hot as they dance across her skin. 

"Hmm." Soojin allows the exhaustion of her day to sneak into her body, slumping into the woman she knows will catch her. "Thanks." Words have never been her forte. She does not have the gift of eloquence that Soyeon and Minnie have honed nor does she ever intend to.

"You're not surprised." Shuhua deadpans. 

Shaking her head, Soojin smiles. "No." Her chest shakes with gentle laughter as she feels Shuhua growl. 

"Who?" 

The debacle in the kitchen is still ongoing. At this point, Soyeon has the knife but Minnie has the cake. 

"Yuqi-ssi."

"Tch. Figures."

Yuqi was never the best at keeping a surprise. She was a great friend to offer an ear that often came with boisterous advice. She could keep the pains and struggles of her friends yet she could not keep a general secret to save her life. 

Cutting into the slice of cake with her fork, Soojin twisted just enough to offer Shuhua a bite. "Don't tell her." Soojin wasn't sure she had enough energy to deal with a pouting and apologetic human puppy. 

"Okay." The kiss Shuhua presses behind Soojin's ear is featherlight. "But I'm not telling her next time."

Soojin chuckled, "She'd love the surprise." Yuqi loves surprises. Not including her in any of the event planning might just be a far better gift for her than any form of possible punishment. 

"I'll tell her then gag her." Shuhua states with an undergirding tone of annoyance; like she has no intention of ever making Soojin's surprise Yuqi's surprise. 

"Hey! **Lovebirds**!" Speak of the devil. 

Minnie snickers. The cake she so preciously coveted is nowhere to be seen. 

Everything is ten seconds from possible disaster. Thankfully it doesn't take much for Soojin to tame her wild wolf, her nails dancing across the exposed skin of Shuhua’s arm. It makes her shiver but otherwise remain in their embrace. Her voice does however ring out louder than thunder. 

**"Yuqi!"**

The two dissolve into a slew of back and forth words that only Minnie is able to follow. Soojin catches the odd word here and there. Only when Soyeon raises her voice, leader mode engaged, does order return.

Though she is exhausted and the level of energy is draining, Soojin would change none of it. 

* * *

It is some ungodly hour by the time someone proposes unwrapping gifts. 

Soojin doesn't know how Shuhua does it. With a grueling filming schedule that is a mixture of days and nights that lacks any rhyme or reason Soojin can follow, Shuhua should be the personification of exhaustion walking. Minnie, if her conversations with Miyeon are anything to go by, keeps just as chaotic of a schedule. Yet there they are, bouncing off the walls and oozing with the excitement of young children. 

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, maybe it’s something in the water, but Soojin wants whatever it is they're having because she is quickly losing steam. 

"For when you finally decide to take some time off." Miyeon tuts as Soojin struggles to unwrap a small box with a spa voucher inside. "Don't forget to take me when you go!" She frames her hands around her face and blinks sweetly. 

No one is surprised when Shuhua protests. 

**"Children."** Yuqi smirks at Shuhua's ire. "This is for yours unnie!” The three white sweaters - one human and two dog sized - that boldly proclaims _If Lost Return to Seo Soojin_ under an image of Soojin’s face has everyone in tears. 

Minnie invites them to visit in Thailand, all expenses paid, and Soyeon has written her a song. The time away sounds like a great idea and the song is both sweet and embarrassing. 

“Shu, what did you get?” Miyeon asks curiously. 

From the floor in front of the couch, Soyeon calmly remarks, “Should we leave so you can give your gift, Shushu?” From the raised brow to the smirk on her lips, her face says all the words that fall between the lines.

“Yay!” Yuqi yells as she slugs Soyeon in the arm. Her ears look oddly red for someone the statement isn’t directed at. 

Shuhua, for her part, only shrugs. Soojin can’t see it, nestled between Shuhua’s legs and slowly drifting off, but she can feel it. She can feel the movement, calm and deliberate as not to disrupt her too much. 

The girls tease Shuhua who plays along well. Honestly, Soojin can’t quite tell anymore who is saying what, a little too comfortable and a little too sleepy. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thinks she hears coos and somewhere she hears well wishes. Maybe lips press against the crown of her head, the swell of her temple, and the furrow of her browline. 

Maybe. 

**“Hey.”** The voice is unmistakable. Like a moth to a flame, Soojin gravitates towards the low timbre she feels reverberating against her skin. “Bed time?” 

Soojin hums. 

In the bedroom, the scent of peaches engulfs her the moment her face plants into the soft cotton sheets. She can hear Shuhua chuckling. It is warm and everything Soojin misses when they are apart. “Shu?” She mumbles into the linens. 

“Yeah?” She isn’t far, maybe the door or the other side of the bed. Soojin can’t quite tell. Curiosity getting the better of her, Soojin rolls over. 

Shuhua is standing halfway between the foot of the bed and the door.

Eyes half lidded, Soojin reaches out, “Hug.” Shuhua doesn’t need to be told twice and the warmth is everything Soojin thinks is right in this world. “Present?” Sleepiness and articulation do not go hand in hand for Seo Soojin. 

“Now?” Soojin loves feeling Shuhua laugh. “You can’t even keep your eyes open.”

“Now.” Soojin whines as her fists half-heartedly thump against Shuhua’s skin. “Hurry, hurry!” Nothing about it truly speaks of haste as Soojin moves as if her limbs are made of osmium and she's submerged under water. 

“Yes my dear.” The way Shuhua loves her in all the languages she knows is something Soojin adores. 

Exhausted but curious, Soojin conjures what strength remains to draw herself into a seated position. Her eyes are less half-lidded as her body calls her to sleep. Squishing her cheeks with the palms of her hand, Soojin chants, “Up,” over and over until Shuhua returns to the room. 

The manila envelope she is holding looks out of place. At least, as far as birthday presents go. 

Tilting her head, Soojin blinks. 

“I- you.” Shuhua starts and stops several times; licking her lips, wringing her hands. It doesn’t take a fool to notice Shuhua is nervous, **“I love you.”** It is a phrase Soojin knows by heart, whispered in the shell of her ear like a prayer night after night, “Thank you. Seo Soojin. Even when you couldn’t understand my words, you knew my heart.” Settling on the edge of the bed next to her, Shuhua offers the envelope, “Thank you for loving me. **Happy birthday my beloved.”**

The words whispered into the crown of her hair sends shivers down her spine. Soojin doesn’t cry but her chest certainly aches. “Shu…” In the lump lodged in her throat are the words Soojin wants to say; the emotions she wants to express. 

Shuhua seems to understand, gently urging her to open the envelope. 

Inside are papers - documents. They look legal though Soojin can’t quite tell as each character looks as unfamiliar as the next. There is a date, she can tell that much, and an address in Taoyuan that she does not recognize. At the bottom is her name, written in both hangul and Taiwanese. It doesn’t make sense. 

Soojin blinks. The fog of fatigue giving way to confusion, “What is this?”

“They’re…” The way Shuhua pauses, struggling to find the right words, reminds Soojin of just how far they have come. **“Agreement of Purchase and Sale…** House documents?” The uncertainty of the words bleed through. 

“House documents?”

Shuhua bobs her head a bit too voraciously that it makes Soojin dizzy. “Yes! No. Villa? The thing you rent.” Her fingers snap in excitement, “Investment! An investment!”

The term investment is familiar; a starting place. 

Glancing down at the papers in her lap, Soojin feels like there is a little more lost somewhere in translation. A lot more. “An investment?” Far more awake, Soojin allows her eyes to roam over the indecipherable message that she suddenly has a desperate need to understand, “You bought us a villa? For my birthday?” 

“No.” Shuhua frowns. “You. It’s for you.” The gentle excitement has morphed into a confusion that Soojin can feel. “Do you not like it?” 

Like is a strong term to describe a document Soojin cannot read and a situation she is not quite sure she understands. Her eyes scan the document again, “Where’s your name?” She has seen it written a few times in Taiwanese, the strokes familiar yet foreign. 

“My name?” If Shuhua was not confused before she certainly is now, her head tilting in that tell tale way Soojin knows all too well, “This is for you, jagiya. My name isn’t-”

Her heart knots in her chest. “Shu... “ Her hands turn to fists around the edges of the papers. “Please tell me you didn’t - You bought a- Why didn’t you-?” The words are choppy half composed thoughts that Soojin just can’t quite mash together to form into one coherent thought. 

“You don’t like it.” 

The way Shuhua’s shoulders slump hurts Soojin in ways she can’t even begin to describe. It aches and it burns and it bleeds. “No, I-” Her words need to be a healing balm. “Why did you put just my name? Why didn’t you sign it?” But they aren’t. Instead they hurt and they cut and Soojin just wants to rewind time. “Shu-” Soojin reaches out. While Shuhua doesn’t lean away from her touch, she doesn’t lean in either. 

“It's a gift. **For you.** ” She flip flops between languages. “Just for you. **Not me.** Why would I put my name if the gift is for you? **Just you.** ” It’s a nervous tick. 

After years, Soojin has learned to recognize simple phrases, ones Shuhua comfortably slips in while lost in her own little world. They aren’t words she can confidently repeat but she knows them; understands them. **“Look at me.”** It is a phrase Shuhua will whisper to her while swept up in the throws of jealousy. _Look at me and only me_. They are authoritative, possessive and coated in a conviction that makes Soojin’s knees feel weak. Maybe they are magic words because Shuhua melts, pliant and willing, into the palms of her hands. “I don’t not like it. We just…” Soojin pauses, wondering just what it is that they need to be doing. “We’re both tired. Let’s talk about this tomorrow, okay?” 

Shuhua nods, hardly convinced. With leaded feet, she skulks off to the bathroom to wash her face before returning to bed. 

**“Shu?”** In the cover of darkness, Soojin can barely make out the edge of the sheets. Something tells her though, like a sixth sense, that Shuhua is watching; waiting. **“I love you.”**

The lips that ghost against her own tastes like peaches. Against the skin beneath her left eye, she can feel each puff of warm air. **“I love you. Only you.”** Each and every word is emphasised by a gentle kiss to the beauty mark Shuhua adores so much. 

* * *

Tomorrow comes and goes. 

The conversation they were meant to have never happens and before Soojin knows it, nearly a week has passed. 

She isn’t avoiding it. The conversation that is. It is just that their schedules are so different. Soojin barely has a chance to say good morning or good night so having a full fledged conversation feels nearly impossible. She knew Shuhua had specially requested her birthday off - a short reprieve amidst a hectic filming schedule. Part of her selfishly wishes they could have more - more time together and more time off to discuss the elephant in the room. 

The manila folder sits on the kitchen counter, a taunting reminder. 

After the third day, she and Shuhua flitting in and out of each other's life with rushed apologies, Soojin knocked on the frosted glass doors on the eighth floor. The voice that beckoned her in was warm and welcoming. The older woman was kind enough to translate Soojin’s foreign gift. She did not ask questions like how or why Soojin was the owner of a property she cannot read the land deed for - both feel painstakingly obvious. 

The kitchen clock reads quarter past five and the first rays of sun are beginning to peek over the horizon. 

The door to the apartment clicks open. Shuhua is dressed in a hoodie three sizes too large and a pair of pajama bottoms Miyeon gave her last Christmas. Quietly, she toes off her shoes, setting them neatly in the closet. She has come a long way from letting her shoes rest where they fall. 

“Shu.”

If Haku and Mata weren’t awake before, they are now. It shouldn’t surprise Soojin the way her gentle voice has Shuhua in a state of shock, she is typically never up at this time. 

“J-jagiya!" Shuhua stumbles over the word while clutching at her chest. The mixture of confusion and surprise looks adorable. As she approaches, Soojin can’t help but notice the way she pauses, her eyes go wide and her features fall. “I’m sorry. Jinjin, I-”

Soojin isn’t sure what she’s suddenly apologizing for; frantic and pleading. “Huh? Wha-”

“If it bothers you, I won’t do it again.” The words tumble out rapid fire, one after another. “ **I promise.** Just please, **don’t leave.** ” The back and forth takes a moment longer to process but when it does, Soojin’s eyes grow wide. 

The manila folder, the early hour, the serious look - it is the scene in every drama moments before the inevitable breakup. 

“No, Shu, this isn’t.” Soojin stands so suddenly the chair teeters back, rocking dangerously for several moments. Thankfully, it doesn’t fall. “I just want to talk.” Healing balm, her words can be a healing balm. 

Cautious, Shuhua resumes her approach. 

Up close, Soojin can see the lines of fatigue prominent on her pale skin. Instinctually, her arms open and just as instinctively, Shuhua falls into them. The words Soojin whisper into Shuhua’s temple do not matter. It is the act and the act alone that does. 

“We should have talked sooner.” Soojin begins, smiling as Shuhua unconsciously rocks them back and forth. “About your investment.” Like a cold dose of reality, Shuhua stops and her body begins to tremble.

There are a dozen ways Soojin knows how to calm Shuhua. They’re little things; light touches, whispered words, soft smiles. “Why did you buy me a villa, Shu?” The words are firm and unambiguous; the antithesis to the gentle nature which her fingers are carding through Shuhua’s soft black hair. 

“I promised.” The response is immediate. “I promised to take care of you.” Those beautiful dark eyes swirl with determination.

It makes sense. Sort of. 

Soojin recalls the words tucked safely in the manila folder. In a roundabout Shuhua-like way, it is a promise. A way to take care of her. Tracing her eyes over Shuhua’s face, Soojin speaks the words that ring true in her heart. They are the words that have been nagging at her once she finally understood the significance of Shuhua’s gift, “Do you not plan to be there?”

That has Shuhua stumped. “Where?” She asks in bewilderment. 

“In our future. To take care of me.” They are selfish words fueled by selfish thoughts. 

“ **No.** I’ll be there.” There is a pause before Shuhua amends softly, “For as long as you’ll have me, that is.”

There it is; the ‘lost in translation’ Soojin couldn’t quite place. “How long?” When Shuhua doesn’t appear to understand, Soojin repeats and adds, “How long? How long do you want that to be? And don’t lie to me, Yeh Shuhua.” The sternness is lost in the way Soojin traces her thumbs down the skin of Shuhua’s throat, soft and gentle. 

**“Forever.”** Soojin doesn’t understand the word so Shuhua repeats, “Forever.” It is bold; Shuhua drawing her shoulders back and her chin tall. 

The corners of her lips lift. “Good.” Soojin leans in, capturing a quick kiss before pulling Shuhua towards the table. She urges her to sit, handing her back the manila folder, “We have an appointment with a lawyer at two.” 

Shuhua does not follow and she voices as much. “For what?” Maybe it is the way she blinks, wide-eyed like a child or the way her jaw works up and down, but Soojin finds it adorable. 

Rising to her feet, Soojin presses a kiss onto Shuhua’s cheek. It makes her whine, chasing the lips with her own as they pull away, thoroughly disappointed when they meet only air. “So you can take full responsibility for me, of course.” 

The wink is a bit much. Soojin enjoys it though as she sashays away, Shuhua speechless in her wake. _Three, two, o-_

“J-j-jagiya!” 

* * *

The lawyer's office is about as bleak and sterile as the inside of one of those generic horror movie hospital wards. Maybe it is part of that trend - minimalism or something like that. 

“Mr. Hwang will see you now.” The receptionist motions them in. 

The hall is filled with generic stock photos and the door at the end reads: _Mr. H Hwang LLB._

A plump cherry cheeked man greets them. “Welcome, please.” He motions to the two mahogany chairs that sit opposite his desk. The office itself has a few stitches of colour and a handful of framed photos that add a more personal touch. “I hear you’d like to make a bit of an amendment today?” 

As far as lawyers go, he isn’t quite what Soojin expects. Mr. Hwang seems amicable wherein all her previous comings and goings have been more impersonal; like the feel of the waiting room. 

“We are.” Soojin replies. 

Shuhua, for her part, appears to be more along for the ride than an active participant. The fatigue from earlier hasn’t quite dispelled, evident by the inside out shirt she is currently wearing. Thankfully, it is one of those shirts that, inside out, can pass for a trendsetting style and not the result of utter exhaustion. 

“We do have to ask you sign-”

Wearing a smile that stretches ear to ear, Mr. Hwang waves reassuringly. “A non-disclosure agreement, yes, yes, I understand.” He shuffles through a disorderly pile of papers on his desk before producing the agreement Soojin had sent in earlier. “All signed and dated.” He hands her the papers. The words, written in hangul, might as well be Greek. 

“Thank you.” Her eyes trace over the name and signature written in blue pen. In her bag she finds a blue pen to match. Her legal signature isn’t quite as flowy as the one she uses for fan events. “Shu?” She leans over to offer the papers for her to sign.

Without question, Shuhua signs.

“So, what kind of amendment are we here to do?” It is a polite question that Soojin knows he already has the answer to. 

As she tucks her copy of the agreement into her bag, Soojin begins, “We’d like to add another name.” She offers him the manila folder, “We hear you’re fluent in Korean and Taiwanese.” 

Mr. Hwang hums as he adorns a set of reading glasses to inspect the papers. When finished, he leans back into his chair. It squeaks in protest. “Not a bad place.” He states as if he is familiar with the area. “The distance to the coast is always a hot commodity.” Leaning forward, he rests his elbows on the wooden surface of the desk. “Whose name would you like to add?”

“Mine.”

There is a pause.

“It says here,” Mr. Hwang’s gaze turns down to the papers as he momentarily re-reads a section, “That Ms. Yeh Shuhua agreed to purchase this property while title ownership will belong to a Ms. Seo Soojin.” The cheeriness in his voice is gone, replaced by an oddly matter-of-fact tone. “Perhaps you should have signed your name initially, Ms. Yeh, when you purchased this property? It would have been easier.” 

Soojin doesn’t like the way he says it. It isn’t mean or condescending but his pushing tone and his- 

“Yes, it would have been.” Gone is the fatigue. In its place is the aura Soojin has come to associate with Shuhua in a professional setting. **“If it troubles you, we can leave. I have complete confidence in my lawyer in Taoyuan.”**

**“Ah, no need, Ms. Yeh, no need.”** Mr. Hwang chuckles, his cherub smile and light tone returning. “So we’ll just be adding one Ms. Yeh Shuhua to this document here, yes?”

Soojin watches as Shuhua deflates, molding back into her chair with an easy smile. “Yep.” She says with a pop on the ‘p’. 

Within the hour Mr. Hwang has their amendment written in both Korean and Taiwanese; their names signed in blue pen. At quarter past three, Mr. Hwang pronounces them the proud co-owners of a villa on the Tamsui River. It sounds strangely more like the gender reveal at a first ultrasound than shared ownership of a villa.

He ushers them to the door and back down the hall. With a wave, he tells Shuhua, **“Next time, it’s cheaper if you just sign the first time.”** As he recedes down the hallway, he mumbles, “Kids these days.”

Soojin raises a brow curiously, though the only response she receives is a casual shrug.

In the parkade, Su is waiting to escort them. While Soojin has the day off, Shuhua is due on set in an hour. Thankfully traffic isn’t heavy and they make it passed security on set and into the waiting zone with ten minutes to spare. 

“Shu?” Soojin asks when Shuhua hesitates to exit the vehicle, eyes darting between the clock on the dashboard and Soojin.

Hand retracting from the car door, Shuhua turns. “It upset you. That I didn’t sign.” Her eyes are wary. 

Turning so her back is against the door of the car, Soojin nods. “It did.”

“Not that I bought it for you.”

Taking Shuhua’s hand, Soojin whispers in response. “No, not that you bought it.” 

Shuhua sags sideways into the seat. The hesitation is gone, replaced by a wave of relief that saps the last bit of her strength. “Thank God.” Her eyes close, lips stretching into a brilliant smile. “I was so worried...” Her voice wavers, pitching and crackling off into puffs of heavy air. 

Mindful of their surroundings, Soojin draws their joined hands to her lips. She plants a delicate kiss atop each protruding knuckle. **“Thank you.”** Turning Shuhua’s hand in her own, she plants a fifth kiss on the mole on the palm of Shuhua’s hand. “For my present.”

“Jagiya.” Her eyes are watery, her voice wobbly. “ **I love you. I love you. I love you.”**

It is a mantra Soojin believes and she whispers as much into the warmth of Shuhua’s skin. “Go. Before I take you back home.” It is a half-hearted threat but one that has them both exhaling watery laughs. 

“Well, if you say so…”

“Yeh Shuhua, go.” 

The laughter is robust, shaking off the walls of the vehicle in the most obnoxiously beautiful way. “Yes, jagiya.” Shuhua sings. In a flash, she pulls their conjoined hands to her lips, showering it in a barrage of kisses. “Bai honey!” 

The door slams behind Shuhua as she races out of the car. Through the dark tint of the car windows, Soojin watches the way Shuhua rushes towards the entrance with arms trailing at her sides. Midway she grinds to a halt, spinning back to face the car. The smile she wears stretches ear to ear and her entire body shakes as she waves, manic and flailing. From the driver’s seat Su laughs, warm and robust, “You sure picked a rambunctious one.” He teases. 

Soojin blushes. “Shut up, Su.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,  
> If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too;  
> If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,  
> Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,  
> Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,  
> And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
> 
> If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;  
> If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;  
> If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster  
> And treat those two impostors just the same;  
> If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken  
> Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,  
> Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,  
> And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
> 
> If you can make one heap of all your winnings  
> And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,  
> And lose, and start again at your beginnings  
> And never breathe a word about your loss;  
> If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew  
> To serve your turn long after they are gone,  
> And so hold on when there is nothing in you  
> Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
> 
> If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,  
> Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,  
> If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,  
> If all men count with you, but none too much;  
> If you can fill the unforgiving minute  
> With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,  
> Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,  
> And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!  
> \-- If by Rudyard Kipling


End file.
